Does Tenure Protect Bad Teachers or Good Schools?

Introduction

Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, with supporters after a Los Angeles judge struck down state tenure laws. Monica Almeida/The New York Times

Teacher tenure laws deprive public school students of their right to an education by making it difficult to remove bad teachers, a California judge ruled on Tuesday. The case, Vergara v. California, pressed by parents backed by a Silicon Valley millionaire, David Welch, is expected to be the first of many around the country to take on tenure.

Do tenure’s job protections prevent bad teachers from being fired or do they provide for greater stability for low-paid faculty?